


Eloquence is for Chumps

by 7Skydragon



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comedy, Dragons, During Canon, Gen, Other tags to be revealed as story progresses, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, possible crack fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:33:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25010935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7Skydragon/pseuds/7Skydragon
Summary: After another painful encounter with his burly cousin Snotlout, little 7 year old Hiccup has taken to exploring the forest. Despite all the warnings of wild animals that could eat him, or worse, the dragons that could roast him, anything was better than being used as a living training dummy. It only took a few moments for him to get lost, but he would eventually return to the village before nightfall... had he not ran into a certain colorful... person...
Relationships: TO BE DETERMINED - Relationship
Comments: 8
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not big into author's notes? that's cool, just skip this large block o text and get onto reading. Want to know what's up, check out the below.
> 
> So big thing to take away from this. This ain't going to be super serious. I had a dream, it was super funny, and now I'm writing it here.
> 
> Will characters be OoC? Probably. Will there be OCs? Yes. A few. Are any of them self inserts? No, but every character ever has a bit of their creator mixed it. It's like the signature on paintings. Some are very obvious and can be seen plain as day, others, hidden, and require a bit of digging to get to.
> 
> Why is this M? Because the main OC slings more curse words around than a ticked off sailor. No sexual innuendos, or depictions of, or anything of the sort. With the exception of accidents and verbal teasing from the main OC. Because he doesn't give two shakes of a tail feather and disobeys even me.
> 
> You also probably wondering, how good's the grammar? Better than average, but only just. I got a lot of room for improvement so let me know what I can change if you spot something. Remember, that not only helps me be better, it makes it more fun for others to read.  
> Side Note: if you get curious and decide to explore my profile, I highly recommend NOT reading my other work. The sole reason it is not taken down is because I need it to reflect on past mistakes. It's horrible, awful, no good, very bad trash that shouldn't see the light of day, so save yourself some brain cells and don't read it.
> 
> And finally, this is for fun. updates will have no schedule as i don't have a laptop and the phone is crap. Mistakes will happen. I'm not going to promise to complete this. I'll try, but quite frankly all I got for the story is the beginning and part of the middle. I'm open to ideas for an end, but as it stands now, got nothin.
> 
> Guess it wasn't finally, if something is to repetitive(with exception to slapstick) let me know. If something happens that doesn't makes sense, or you think shouldn't, tell me why and what and if your reason is valid enough, I'll change it.
> 
> This reallly is the finally, there will be magic. and talking dragons. and magical talking dragons. Deal with it. Peace out.

Hiccup clutched his bruised sides as he stumbled through the forest. The mocking jeers from his cousin, and the twins, echoing through his head hurt almost as much as the kicks. At least the pain from the kicks was starting to fade. Though that was soon replaced with a scraped knee when he failed to notice a root sticking out from the ground. It was as if the foul plant grew just to trip him. He didn’t cry though, he was tough. A couple of tears and a silent sniffle didn’t count as crying. He was seven now, and seven year olds didn’t cry. When the pain finally subsided enough for him to walk, he continued on with his trek.

The forest, that he was becoming more and more familiar with recently, was large. Huge even. Most of the bushes were taller than him and the trees looked as if they stretched for eternity. What wasn’t covered in bush, was covered in other large plantlife. Vines entwined between multiple trees. Some parts simply scaled from the base to the top, others made living walls of green. There were some flowers blooming, but only the few that could survive Berk’s harsh weather.

These were all the things he normally sees when he enters this place, but today he felt the need to go deeper. As far away as he could from the other kids. Maybe they couldn’t get to him, if they didn’t even know where he was. Thus, with a determined expression, he straightened his back and walked past the flower bed that he set as his self limit. Only to take two steps and fall once again. Thankfully, the flowers absorbed most of the impact and he immediately bounced up and pushed forward.

Hours later, when the sun had just passed its peak, he was beginning to feel that his plan to delve deeper into the forest was a bad idea. He managed to successfully fall, and disorient himself multiple times. To the point he no longer knew which way to go. He wasn’t scared though. Not one bit. Seven year olds don’t get scared while lost in the forest. That said, he was getting a little worried. Worry that was beginning to wane as the more he walked the closer the sound of a trickling stream of water could be heard.

He let out a sigh of relief when he stepped from behind a large tree to see a decent sized stream of water. Quite a few of their sources of water flowed near the village. He could follow it back home whenever he decided to leave. Which would have been then and there, had it not been for the large dragon that landed right next to him. He froze. What else could he do? The dragon’s legs were larger than he was! Not really much of a feat, considering his size, but still!

He could only hopelessly watch as... it moved towards the stream and took a drink? It looked like it didn’t even notice him, which was weird considering he wasn’t more than two feet from it a moment ago. Yet it ignored him, continuing to drink from the crystal clear water, giving him the perfect opportunity to escape. Which he tried, but, because today seemed like the perfect day for the gods to pick on him, when he took a step back he stepped on a twig. The resulting snap might as well have been as loud as the village’s warning bell with how quick the dragon’s head snapped towards him. Four silver blue, slitted eyes locked onto his, and for a moment, he felt as if it could read his entire soul. Who he was, will be,  _ wants _ to be. But that was quickly dispelled when the dragon opened its maw and-

“Yo what the fuck are you looking at?” asked him a question.

“What?” That was all his little seven year old mind could process. He honestly thought that the adults wouldn’t have fared much better in terms of response.

Its, though the voice definitely sounded male, eyes narrowed and a small growl slipped through as it, he, answered. “Motherfucker, you deaf? I asked what the fuck you were looking at. If you make me repeat myself again, I’m gonna burn yo pipsqueak ass.”

Scared couldn’t even begin to describe what he felt right now. Terrified? Horrified? Hopeless? Despair? Those were pretty good descriptions. None of which helped him get an answer out. The sudden very audible growl, however, did. “You!” It came out more of a squeak that sounded like ew, but close enough.

The dragon, for his part, looked a bit taken aback. “Alright you little shit, wasn’t expecting an honest answer.” the dragon then sat on his haunches and rested his chest on his forelegs. Four wings slowly spread out from his back, the two on the left dipped into the water, while the two on the right stretched out under the sun.

“Here’s the deal. My kind,” he paused, bringing a claw up to his chin to ponder for a bit, then dropped it and continued just as mildly as he began, “the ones around here that is, are supposed to kill yo squishy asses on sight. Big bitch in the nest don’t like you for some reason. Me? I say fuck her. You’re a tiny viking thing.” He waved a paw in an almost dismissive manner but continued on seamlessly. “The fuck can you do? Fuckin nothing. Waste of effort if you ask me.” He bent his head low, low enough to be on eye level with the kid. It hurt his neck a little, being in such an unusual position, but he figured it’d help get the point across.

“That said.” He took a deep breath through his nose, the taint of fear, sweat, dirt, and a multitude of other scents assaulted his senses. He didn’t care though, there were worse scents he’s had the displeasure of encountering. “You haven’t run, or wet yourself. Not many can claim that when they see me. You have my respect.” He huffed and blew out a small cloud of sparks. “Don’t think that means I’ll have mercy on your weak ass if we meet in battle. I’ll rip you scrawny limb from scrawny limb, got that?” At another round of vigorous nodding he retracted his head and closed his eyes. “Good. Now, go do whatever it is you viking twerps normally do.”

Hiccup, ever the graceful person that he is, tripped over every little thing on his way out. Twigs, branches, flowers. If it stuck out of the ground, he tripped over it. It took him a few minutes to calm down enough to properly breathe, and isn’t that something? He was still breathing. Shaken like a tree during a storm, but alive and breathing. Alive and breathing even after meeting a dragon. A dragon he’s never seen before.

A storm of thoughts flooded his mind, most ranging from why it didn’t kill him to what type of dragon it was. One of the things that stood out, to him, was: what did ‘fuck’ mean?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So tell me your thoughts. Good? Bad? Really bad? Crazy? Ridiculous? I want to hear em. Mind you, if you're going to fling hate, at other commentators, I could fling hate back. or just, you know, enable moderation and keep your comments from reaching the light of day. your choice.
> 
> Remember. Don't take this too seriously. I sure don't. It's meant for fun. Laughs. Enjoyment.  
> That said, if I lose focus, or run out of things to put our characters through... well... ever played sunset overdrive? things will be getting top tier combo


	2. My friend has scales

Hiccup was 11 when he met that dragon again. The day had been going surprisingly well. He managed to avoid Snotlout and the twins  _ and _ his father was on another nest hunt. Which meant that he could spend the entire day exploring the forest without anyone being sent out to find him. Well… that is, if he's completed the work Gobber assigned him for that day. Regardless, it was him and the forest and he wasn't about to lose out on the opportunity.

The problem he's had with finding the dragon is, surprisingly, the timing. Apparently the dragon frequents the stream quite often, if the indents in the ground were anything to go by. Though, if he thought about it, it could have been just any dragon, but he would rather believe it was the dragon he met. That problem is solved thanks to his early arrival. With the sun barely peeking over the edge of the world, his pack stuffed with his lunch, book, and pencil, and a perfect resting spot near the stream but not immediately noticeable, he was ready. Today would be the day he confronted the strange talking dragon.

Which brought about mixed feelings. Dragons were supposed to be every Viking's worst enemy, yet the one from four years ago simply spoke to him. Albeit in an odd and aggressive manner, but that's all it did. Was he supposed to hate it, or think that it was cool? He didn't know. He would leave that decision to be made for after today. Once he's confirmed that it wasn't just a one time deal.

It took hours before the dragon finally arrived, and thankfully it did. He had almost fallen asleep. The dragon landed with a heavy thump, and, if Hiccup didn't know any better, stumbled a bit before righting itself. It stood proud for a moment, then gave itself a shake and released a sigh.

And wow, it was unlike any dragon he's ever seen. Easily larger than a nightmare, in both height and length, yet it sported no spines or sharp pointy bits aside from it's claws. It was mostly blue with oddly patterned white spots covering its sides and chest. Its tail, which he thought was disproportionately long, ended in a fan of feathers. Feathers, he finally noticed, that went all the way up its tail and spine. Well, what he could see of its spine anyway. He couldn't see the second pair, but he definitely remembered it having four wings. Which also had a plethora of feathers. Its head was needle-like, short, but very quickly narrowed to a point. He also remembered, and could see, four piercing silver blue eyes. Which were currently staring at him.

"Motherfucker, you doing that staring shit again? The fuck is wrong with you?" The dragon narrowed his eyes for a moment before shaking his head. "Nevermind. The fuck you want?" He lowered his head towards the stream, took a drink, then assumed a position not unlike their first meeting. Once the dragon was comfortable he gave a quick head bob and turned his attention on Hiccup.

It took Hiccup a few moments to realize that the question wasn't rhetorical and that the dragon was expecting a response. The first couple of attempts at speech came out as nothing more than weird strangled noises, however, he was able to get a response out. "What… what's your name?" It ended with a squeak, but he did it. He's talking to a dragon. Something that if he told anyone about they'd think he was insane.

"My name huh?" He closed his eyes while a small hum floated through him. "I supposed I could tell you." At Hiccup's surprised look, that slowly turned excited, he added, "But be careful with it. My name carries a lot of weight in certain places and not all of it's good. Don't go spouting it off to everyone you meet. Got that?" He narrowed his eyes once more and let out a growl to emphasize his point.

"Yes!" The dragon chuckled at the vigorous nodding that the boy once again responded with.

"Good. Name's Zaerkrox, and unless I give my ok, around anyone else you'll call me Z."

"Ok!" Hiccup gave the dragon a full, sun reflecting smile. "Thank you. I-"

"Yeah, we're going to skip that little bit of pleasantry." He regarded the human child curiously for a moment, a couple of thoughts beginning to bubble around in his head. "So, kid, I have to know. Why ain't you all," he rotated a forepaw, as if it would help make his point, "you know, stab happy? Like the rest of your kind."

Hiccup didn't immediately answer, instead, he put a good deal of thought into why that was. For the most part, he, the dragon, was the only person that hadn't picked on him. Or, at least, hadn't hurt him. Also because the dragon talked. Most dragons, from what he was told and was able to read, didn't talk and always attacked on sight. So maybe they were all wrong about dragons and he wanted to give them the chance and see for himself. He explained his thoughts as such.

"Huh. You're weird." Zaerkrox shrugged his shoulders, which was more of a bobbing of his wings than a shrug. "Keep it that way. Fuckin morons the rest of your kind."

"Thanks, I think?"

"Yup."

Hiccup awkwardly looked around for a little while, unsure as to what to say next. Eventually, he decided to pull out his book and draw his new… friend? Not enemy? It took time to do it, what with so many details to put in. Four wings and eyes, spineless, and other things tested his picture to a surprising degree. He enjoyed it though. In a way, it was relaxing. Bring able to take his mind off everything else and just focus on his art. Chances like these were rare in the village.

It wasn't until the sky was darkening, and a shuffling sound coming from behind him, did he finally grow aware of his surroundings. He gave a little jump when he realized his dragon companion had his head hovering over his shoulder. His head was angled in a way where his right two eyes could get a full view of the drawing. It was of said dragon in his resting pose. One pair of wings dipped in the steam, the other bathing in sunlight. He continued drawing, finishing off the last bit of the tail before putting his pencil down.

"That's me." Z almost whispered. Hiccup ducked his head a bit, before quietly nodding. "It's good." A pause. "The image, not me."

"Oh. Uh, thanks." He really didn't know what else to say.

"Could you do more? Not just me, but others?" Z's head angled to look at Hiccup.

"If I saw them, I probably could." Did this mean what he thought it meant?

"Cool. Well, weird human child, I need to leave. I may not be enslaved, but I'd rather not deal with a hunting party. I'll see you around." With that, and a sudden flap of his wings, he was gone.

To say Hiccup was excited would not be inaccurate. However, said excitement was quelled upon hearing the distant howls of wolves. He was surprisingly nimble and lucid on his trek back and the sky had completely darkened by time he managed to make it home. He also didn't have to worry about sneaking into his room. Something he's starting to appreciate about the nest hunts. If only he thought to ask why they raid them so often. Questions for next time.

Next time happened to be the very next week. He was walking from the forge to the great hall when shouts of alarm rang throughout the village. Dragons were attacking. Being the morbidly curious child that he is, he turned to see what was going on. To find out that the term 'dragons' was incorrect. It happened to be a single dragon. A single, very familiar dragon. A single very familiar dragon that was definitely diving towards him. Diving, and shouting at the top of his lungs, "Found you pipsqueak, hope you're ready!" He was not ready. He doesn't think anyone could be ready.

"Yoink." So when he was suddenly lifted from the ground and Berk was rapidly becoming nothing more than a small speck, he screamed. It was a manly scream, something he would vehemently deny otherwise, but really. Who wouldn't scream when they were suddenly kidnapped by a dragon?

At least, once the terror of being dangled who knows how high up in the air wore off, it was a pleasant experience. The wind rushing by, almost as if it was coaxing him to break free and let it carry him instead. He knew that was a bad idea, but it was a nice feeling. Everything also looked so small, like he could reach out, grab the fading islands, and hold them in the palm of his hand. Though it was a bit cold. Well, cold _ er _ .

The sun had disappeared quite a while ago before they spotted any sort of land. It should be noted that he didn't spot anything until they landed; it was mostly Z doing the spotting. Zaerkrox was none too gentle when he released Hiccup, and when he hit the ground and fell over, he decided to just lay there for a while.

"I'm dead. This is the afterlife. A sick, twisted afterlife." Hiccup mumbled through the dirt he was currently face planting.

Zaerkrox snorted. It was funny how much emotion one could gleam from such a simple and abrupt noise. "You're not dead. Get up. There's a friend I'd like you to meet."

Hiccup wasn't given enough time to actually get up when he was suddenly lifted in the air again. He stifled another scream when he realized they weren't flying. Though, being carried like a pup wasn't all that it was cracked up to be either. "You know I can walk right?"

"Eh, took too long." Nevermind how the dragon was talking without moving his mouth, he was barely given any time at all to move!

"Hey! You barely gave me any time!"

"Yes, but you didn't even bother to move. I just sped things up. Now stop whining, it's annoying and I have you in my mouth." Hiccup wanted to continue to argue, but the occasional poke to the back reminded him that angering a dragon was very unwise.

The trip to where it was they were going felt like it took almost as long as the flight, but before he could start counting the stars he was suddenly dropped to the ground. Landing with a quiet "Oof." Hiccup slowly stood up, his legs wobbling from hours of disuse. When he finally took stock of his surroundings, he noticed that Z was looking right at him. He was more inclined to believe it was behind him, however, due to the very audible, and very terrifying, growl coming from right behind him. He stiffened like a petrified log, hoping beyond hope that the dragon behind him wasn't hungry. Or angry.

"Cool it, Ny. I didn't bring him here just to get him killed." Z took a couple of steps forward and pulled Hiccup to his side. "This is the one I told you about. The one that can create copies." Hiccup tried looking at where the dragon had his head facing, but all he could see was a pair of glowing gold eyes. Not a yellow like he's seen from nightmares or nadders, but more like the eyes themselves were made of actual gold.

"I could. But not now. He's too young. It would probably kill him right now." Z looked at him as the dragon growled some more, though, it was a lot less threatening than before. "He's frail compared to the others." A nearly quiet hum was the response from the still mostly invisible dragon. "Can we skip this and let him do his thing? You won't regret it." Zaerkrox gave the floating eyes a tooth filled grin that Hiccup was completely fine with it being directed at anywhere but him.

Hiccup didn't get to complain when Z shoved him forward, because at the same time the hidden dragon revealed itself. It was night given dragon form. It was small, compared to Z, but it was also lithe, compact, built for speed. Power too, most likely. He could barely make out a pair of subwings, at the base of the tail, in the moonlight. Any further was still hidden. It's wings were folded, but even then they were massive. Probably larger than itself per wing. Golden eyes narrowed in on him when he mouthed out a wow.

"This, pipsqueak, is my friend. Her name is Nysaela. You can call her Ny, she won't mind." Hiccup could hear the smirk the dragon behind him was no doubt displaying. Nysaela, or Ny, loosed a short bark at Z who responded with quite the hardy laughter. Something that sounded like a mix of a bark and a hiss. It was a very strange sound.

"Uh, hi? I’m Hiccup.” Nysaela gave him an odd look but nothing came of it other than a snort and her focus being redirected to Z.

“Humans and their weird names. Anyway, can you do that thing for her that you did of me?" Z leveled his head with Hiccup’s as he asked that, his two visible eyes giving him a curious look.

"I can but…" he paused for a moment, re observing the dragon, dragoness? Dragon lady? Questions for later, before him.

"But what?"

"How does she want it? Just an image of her? If so, I would need to see the rest of her tail. If she wants the pose as it is right now, I could do that. I'll take a while though. When would she want it by?" Sometimes, a ball of confidence would form itself in the tiny little human and he would be able to pull off seemingly impossible feats. While this was no impossible feat, it was certainly interesting to see the change from timid boy to confident… well, boy. Still a young child, but if he played it right, he could fool people into believing there were two of him.

The subject of his inquiries sat on her haunches and curled her tail around her legs, fanning what he could see were two tail fins. He took that as the pose she wanted done and got to work. At first he had to look up a few times to ensure he had the right details, but that stopped after a few times. Instead, he now had two dragons looking over his shoulders as he drew the newer one.

Just as it was for Z, it took awhile for him to complete the drawing; this time, it was dawn. And just as it was for Z, he jumped when he realized there were dragons hovering behind him. He let out a long yawn before talking. “So what did you kidnap me and have me draw a random dragon for?”

His question went ignored as Z gave Ny a very toothy grin. “Told you. Looks just like you." Nysaela gave a short hum in response. "As for you, pipsqueak, nothing you need to worry about." He merely laughed at Hiccup's petulant look. "Alright short stuff, let's get you back to your nest."

"But I'm tired." Hiccup groaned. "Can't we leave after we've rested?"

"I thought you'd be thrilled to leave so soon. But, no. We leave now." The human child looked like he was about to say something but Z quickly cut him off. "Deal with it. You aren't the one flying. Now hop on, we're leaving." He crouched low enough that his belly was touching the ground and gestured with his head to get on.

"Wait, you mean… on your back?" Hiccup really didn't know what to think.

"Sure, unless you want me to carry you like earlier." Z smirked at the kid's widened eyes.

"I'll ride on your back. Thanks." He hastily responded.

Z had to assist the human child on getting to his back. He was still too big, even while crouched, for him so he had to use his paw to lift the small kid. Once he was sitting comfortably, and practically whispered a ready, he looked to his golden eyed friend. "Stay safe. Hunters are coming in from the north. I'll be back to deal with them, but you might want to find a new home soon." She bobbed her head and he took off with a quick thrust of his wings.

The flight back wasn't nearly as stressful as it was heading to Ny. In fact, Hiccup would say that it was relaxing. So much so, that he found himself waking up just as Z was flying over Berk. Instead of dropping him off in the middle of the village, like he thought, Z brought them to where they first met. The small stream still pushed on, as if the world around it was never disturbed.

Hiccup slowly slid off the dragon's back when he crouched, and immediately fell to the ground when his legs turned into jelly upon impact. The numbness was a strange feeling that he was certain he would like to avoid in the future. Z calmly leaned down and picked him up off the ground and stood him on his feet. Hiccup wobbled a bit, but he managed to stay standing.

"Hiccup." His friend called as he started to walk towards his village. He didn't say anything, but he did acknowledge him with a hum. "You trust me, right?" He didn't know what this was about, but sure. He trusted Zaerkrox. The dragon had plenty of opportunities to hurt, or even kill, him but all he ever did was talk strangely. And kidnap him so that he could draw the dragon's friend. Which was weird, but dragons weren't human, so he'll give that a pass for now.

"Yeah, I trust you."

"Cool." Z nodded his head. "Good." He looked at Hiccup with a distinct seriousness that ensnared his attention. "No matter what happens, remember this. You're a friend, and I don't kill my friends." And suddenly, he was gone. No, really, just gone. No flap of wings, no jumping, just gone. As if he never existed in the first place. Part of him wanted to write off the entire experience as a very lucid dream. But the rest of him knew that Z was real. And it might be a while before he got to see his strange dragon friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first few chapters of the story will take place before the first movie. There's a bit of setup and pre-establishing that needs to be done before the real stuff kicks off. and the funny. Also, a special thanks to Deadly-Bagel. His help has changed quite a few future interactions. for the better, mind you. go check out his story, it's freakin awesome.
> 
> as usual with reading anything in progress, comment with your questions, concerns, or whatever. can't do better, if I don't know what's wrong.


	3. If I could hold you again...

Stoick was many things. Strong, determined, a chief, a viking. And right now he was stressed. More so than usual. See, being a chief is stressful. Watching over the tribe, making sure the cooks make food for the builders, the builders make houses for the hunters, who bring food for the cooks. One of many intricate trades that make the village whole, and that's just the basics. The surface level of things, there's far more to it than that, and if someone is a chief and isn't stressed, they weren't a good chief. Stoick is stressed for a different reason.

Not more than a few moments ago he witnessed his last gift from his wife being snatched away by the very thing that took her. There were so many things he wished he could have done in that moment, but all of them had a very high risk of killing his son at the same time. So he did nothing. Just as it was ten years ago, he could do nothing but watch as his family was taken from him. Many emotions flashed through his mind at that moment. Grief, despair, defeat, but then, rage. An unbridled fury that could level mountains. A wrath that-

"I know that look, Stoick." A familiar voice interrupted his mental breakdown. "There's nothin we can do." He turned his steeled gaze into his long time friend. Gobber raised his hands, rather, a hand and… a spoon? To anyone else, they never would have noticed the slight twitch in Stoick's eyes. Gobber looked to his interchangeable hand then back to Stoick. "What? I just got done eatin."

"I don't have time for this, Gobber." Stoick huffed, then turned around and headed for the great hall. He stopped his march when a hand reached his shoulder. He turned to face his friend once again, a nearly imperceptible growl escaping him.

"Listen, Stoick, I get that you want to save im, but ya need to think about this. We jus' got back from a raid, and no ship has ever out paced a dragon." At his continued glaring, Gobber simply heaved a sigh. "Just take a moment ta cool down. Think it over. Whatever you decide, I'm with ya." Stoick glared at him for just a bit longer, before grunting and resuming his march to the great hall.

"And another thing," his friend started in a hushed manner. "continued in a hushed voice. " is it me, it did that dragon speak."

At that, Stoick stopped and stood ramrod straight. He slowly, as if a door bring opened the first time in centuries, turned to face Gobber. or did that dragon speak?"

Stoick halted his march so abruptly, Gobber almost ran into him. He slowly turned to face said viking and heavily enunciated his next few words. "Dragons. Don't. Talk." Que marching.

"Right, how silly of me. Musta had too much ta drink." He remained silent the rest of the walk towards the great hall and once they arrived Stoick wasted no time in throwing open the doors and walking in. Only to abruptly halt once more. "Ah." He managed to delay him just enough for his reasoning to return, it seemed.

It wasn't a pretty sight. Vikings were huddled in small groups, grief and pain ever present in their eyes, reminiscing tales of their recently fallen comrades. Some groups were simply too drunk to move. Others were quietly talking amongst themselves. It was strange, seeing the great hall suffer with such silence. It was enough to cool Stoick's rage. He let out a sigh that only Gobber could hear, then silently left the great hall.

They made it a few steps outside when Stoick faced his long time friend. "What do I do, Gobber?" It was a painful whisper. It was hard to watch such a powerful man sound broken.

"Pray, Stoick. Nothin else you can do but pray he finds himself in Valhalla." He patted Stoick's arm in the most comforting manner he could, then made towards the forge. He could already see a group starting to form before it.

Stoick silently watched the man hobble his way down to one of the most important buildings this village held. He took in a deep breath then stomped his way towards the docks. He needs to take note of their recent hauls and to help determine whether or not they have enough food to survive the upcoming winter. He had a feeling they were going to get hit with another raid before the ice set in. Accursed devils.

* * *

Chiefing that day had been easy. Chiefing during the first few days returning from a search had always been easy. Grief slows people down, but the pain sharpened them for when the next raid would hit. The dragons made the mistake to attack right after a search. None of them returned, and none of them made that same mistake again.

It was pleasing to find out that they had more than enough food to survive the winter, even with the potential raid looming over them. They had a surprisingly large number of sheep, compared to the usual few that is, so mutton was something they could fall back to if nothing else. None of the villagers were homeless and they had freshly sharpened weapons. All in all, a good day to be a chief. Were it not drowned by grief.

Tears were silently leaking down his face, and thankfully he was in his own home (with night having fallen quite some time ago), as he stared silently at the small, flickering fire slowly burning at the logs in its little home. He failed as a husband, and he failed as a father. Both times taken from him by a dragon. Both times he stood and watched helplessly.

Was this his punishment? For ignoring his son so often? For never being the father he should have? He was a chief... but… Hiccup was his son. His son that he put the village before at every turn. Gods, what he would do to earn a second chance. To hold his child once more. He released a shaky breath, and slowly stood up. Composing himself to his usual stoic manner, he proceeded to throw one more log into the fire and close the small gate in front of it. He needed his rest for the coming day, if he was to send his son off properly.

The next day had been slow, but relatively easy. Almost as if the villagers collectively got together to make his life a little bit easier. Unusual and unbelievable, but he wasn't about to complain. With most of the preparations set, all that remained was to gather his people and get the helmet he's been working on for when his son would have finally become one of them.

He did not take his time making his way to his home, though, he didn't hurry either. He simply walked to his house at his usual pace. It was an uncomfortable feeling, knowing that he so desperately missed his son so soon. He could already see his son standing in front of his house with that goofy, strained, and very unviking like smile on his face. He decided, at that moment, to stop and clear his head. He was the chief, he couldn't be seeing things right now. Thus, he closed his eyes, took a couple of deep breaths, shook his head for good measure then opened them once more.

He was under the impression that that would fix the problem. "Uh… hi… dad." It did not. In fact, he could even hear the apparition talking. Odd. He'd need to visit Gothi after the funeral. He continued on without further pause, but just as he was about to reach his door, the apparition reached out and touched him. "Dad?" What he felt at that moment would be akin to the world being split asunder. There was no denying that feeling. There was no denying what stood beside him. _Who_ stood beside him.

He slowly turned to face his once thought deceased son and barely managed to keep his voice from cracking as he dumbly stated, "You're alive."

His son, in ever the fashion that is him, shrugged and replied. "More or less."

There was only a sliver of a moment's hesitation before Stoick wrapped his son in a hug. He was firm, but gentle. As if, should he squeeze too hard, he would disappear. He held that hug for a while, long enough for his knees to start aching, before he eventually let go. He took a step back to behold his son once more, a small smile stretching itself over his face.

"Best to put a stop to the ceremony then." He'd almost forgotten, but they'd no longer have to send his son off. He was given a second chance. One that he wasn't going to squander.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's that chapter. shorter than usual, but that's because it's to show you Stoick. or, to test how well I can do Stoick. there were other bits I wanted to add, but it took away from the setting, so they were removed.one such is Snotlout saying that Hiccup is so useless he couldn't even die right.anyway, the main perspective of the story will be Hiccup and his chapters will be long. other perspectives will be shorter, as they are meant to show you they're thoughts and reactions. less to progress, more too develope.also, thanks again D-B, you're help is invaluable.also also, passed 100 views milestone. to some, they would scoff. it's not a lot but, to me, to any author worth their salt, 1 person reading and enjoying it is beautiful.


	4. Too much to happen in one day

One week had passed since he returned to the village, and in that one week he could already see a change. Though that change was limited to one person, it was probably the best one it could affect. His dad actually listened to him. Not with his usual disappointed scowl, or committing the barest of attention to him, but with his actual attention. It was… strange but it was a great thing to finally be acknowledged by his father. He was even able to get his idea approved for a better fire extinguishing system. They'd have to fill the troughs after each use, but over each house would be a trough of water that had a rope that someone could pull to dump it on a flaming house. It would also automatically dump itself if the rope was burned off.

His dad was skeptical, and they wouldn't be able to test it until the next raid, which wouldn't happen until winter was over, but he agreed to have one house near the center be the test building. Honestly, he didn't care if it didn't work how he wanted it to, his dad actually listened to him and followed one of his ideas. It was probably the happiest moment he's ever experienced.

His rumination was interrupted by a jovial voice belonging to someone he'd consider his good uncle. Or second dad, had things continue prior to Z. Perhaps he could call him uncad? Dunckle? He'll stick with Gobber.

"Yer smilin more of'en, what's got ye in a good mood?" The large man asked as he switched his interchangeable hand from, well, a hand, to a pair of tongs.

"Nothing, Gobber, just feeling a bit happy is all." 

Gobber nodded his head as he picked up a nearly broken sword and shoved it into the hearth. "That's good, lad. I'll take that as meanin yer happy to help me fix all these weapons today." At his groan, Gobber continued with a chuckle. "Ye been slackin the past few days, and they're pilin up. Be happy I don't make ya do em alone" Well, at least he had help. It could be worse.

"Hey pipsqueak, the fuck you at!?" And worse it got. It was at this moment that he decided that his head needed to make contact with the wall. Repeatedly. All the while muttering, "I hate my life, I hate my life, I hate my life." Over and over.

Gobber gave him an odd look, but before he could say anything, the Loki incarnate continued his shouting. "I'll start breaking doors down, fuck, I'll start eating the shits. You know what wood tastes like? Fucking horrible. If you make me eat wood, imma kick yo're tiny ass from here to the mountain and back!" There was a loud thump somewhere nearby followed by a scream, also followed by a slightly deeper pitched scream.

"Fuck lady! God. Fuckin, shit, that's my ears you just screamed in! Fuck. Ever hear of common decency?" He felt like that was a statement that shouldn't be coming from the very familiar voice, but he was going to keep his mouth shut. "Damnit. Why do you humans have such dreaded lungs." There were a few shouts and angry yelling shortly after that statement. He could only hope that his… friend? Could make it out alive.

There was a faint thud, followed by silence. For a moment, he thought his friend was killed, and was nearly out of the forge when his voice spoke up. "Is he dead? Poke. Poke poke poke." There was an even more faint groan, one that was getting louder as Hiccup decided to exit the forge and follow the voice… if only to get the chaos to cease quicker.

"Nope, he's alive." There was a sudden menacing aura that blasted him as he rounded a house and stumbled into… something. Z was standing in the center of a ring of armed and angry Viking's, one of his forepaws resting on a downed Viking, Hoark, it looked like, and a crooked grin on his lips. Snout? Muzzle? "Ever play catch?" The dragon's eyes scanned over each Viking surrounding him, almost daring one of them to attack. Until Z's eyes met his, then, very suddenly, he was in front of him.

All Hiccup did was blink and apparently that was enough time for the large dragon to move from the center of the ring, to not even a foot in front of him. "Short stuff! There you are!" The dragon bent his head down and rubbed it against his, then leaned back and grinned at him. "Get this. I was flying around, avoiding big bitch, blowing up some fuckers calling themselves outcasts, and just being an all around swell guy, when I spotted an unusual island." The dragon looked expectantly at him, his guess being that Z wanted him to ask what was special, but that was hard to concentrate on when said dragon was effortlessly batting away bolas, axes, swords, and vikings with his tail.  _ Just _ his tail. WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING!

Z must have caught on to his bewilderment since he turned his head to look at the scene behind him. "Oh that? I just know what to listen out for." He paused, turning his head back around to observe Hiccup again. "Don't worry, I won't kill any of them."

There was a sudden release of tension in his chest that he didn't know was building up. "Thanks." He half whispered.

"Don't mention it. Now, as I was saying, unusual island."

Hiccup rolled his eyes but decided to humor the dragon. "What's so special about this island?"

Z crouched low and spread is front two wings in a wide sweeping manner. "Lightning."

"Lightning?" He wasn't really all that impressed. A lot of the islands have severe storms that could wreath them in lightning for a few days. Sure it was out of season, but it wasn't anything special.

Z squinted at Hiccup's lackluster response. "Yeah, lightning. A whole fucking lot of it."

"Yeah, that tends to happen sometimes. They're called storms. The islands go through them often enough." The dragon invaded his village just to tell him about an island going through a storm? He really didn't know what to think about that.

"Oh, right." Z started, as he returned to his normal standing position. "No, there weren't any storms. Not a cloud in sight, but the damned island itself was shooting off lightning." He turned his body a bit to reveal a few scorch marks along his scaly side. "Even got hit by a few stray bolts."

Now  _ that _ was unusual. An island spouting off lightning without a storm? He didn't want to admit it to the dragon, but he was very curious. "What do you think is causing it?"

"I have a guess, but-" He suddenly jumped a couple feet in the air while turning and shouting, "Ow! Fuck, who's the asshole…" the dragon paused when he took notice of Stoick standing in front of the other vikings. "How the fuck did I not hear you? You're fucking huge!"

Stoick seemed to not know what to think, if the sudden raise of his eyebrows was any indication to go off of. But that confusion lasted only a moment before he pulled his shield in front of him and began to advance.

"Straight to fighting. Typical." Hiccup could hear the dragon's eyes rolling. "I'd entertain you if I had the time." He glanced back towards him, a smirk plastered across his draconic face. "But me and pipsqueak here have an adventure to go on. So, later!" With that, he quickly turned around, grabbed a hold of his arms, and suddenly found themselves above the clouds. The surprised look on his father's face replaying in his head.

"Again!?" He shouted, upset barely scratching the surface of his emotions at the moment.

"Oh calm down would you? It's not like I'm taking you to your death." Hiccup wanted too, truly, but there were better ways to get someone to go with you besides kidnapping.

"Yes, but you could at least ask if I wanted to go!" He wasn't paying attention last time, due to his constant fear, but the wind was incredibly loud. Good thing he was a viking, shouting was the normal level of speech. "And what if I had things to take care of?"

"Excuse me then. Here, did you have anything better to do?" The dragon drawled as he slowly banked to the left.

"Yes, actually. I had work to do at the forge." That got him a four eyed stare from his friend/kidnapper.

"The fuck's a forge?"

Hiccup simply deadpanned, then let out the manliest, definitely manliest, scream he could muster when he was suddenly tossed further up into the air. His sudden airtime didn't last as he landed on something very solid. Looking down revealed that he was on the dragon's back, right above his top wings.

"Count yourself lucky, I know of only two others that have ever been granted permission to ride a dragon's back. Now, explain to me what a forge is." He said while looking at him with a single pair of eyes. Once the final command was given, he returned his head forward.

"You… it's basically the building where we make things." He stated, taking the time to look at the wispy clouds. They looked different from above. Thicker, more developed. The ones in the distance looked darker though, as if a storm was brewing.

"What kind of things?" There was a barely hidden curiosity in his voice.

"Eehh, weapons, tools, metal parts for buildings. Really, anything that requires metal, of any sort, in its design." He received a hum, one that he could feel through the dragon's scales, as a response.

"What about your structures? Houses you call them." He angled his head just enough that his back left eye could see him.

"That job goes to the carpenter. They handle most things wood and construction." Hiccup paused for a bit before asking, "If you've lived for so long, and can speak our language, fluently even, how do you not know what these things are?" It was certainly odd, all things considered.

"There's no translation for them." There was a slight growl, which caused him to hold off his immediate next question. "If you haven't figured it out, I can't actually speak your language. I use magic to translate what I say so you can understand. Works the other way too." Z slowed his flight and fully turned his head towards Hiccup. "If there isn't a word we dragons have, the word will still go through, but what it means does not."

"Oh." Was his almost immediate response. "Wait, magic?"

"Another time, short stack." He grumbled at the name, but didn't press. At his continued silence, Z continued his flight as normal. "We'll be there in a couple hours. Get comfortable."

Get comfortable translated to 'sit exactly where you are because any other position comes with the very high risk of falling off'. Which wasn't the end of the world. Seeing everything from so high up, while cold, was beautiful. Everything being the sun. Because the clouds were still below them and he couldn't exactly see beyond white fluffy and grey angry. Which, after about an hour, gave him enough time to think.

"So if your magic translates things, what does fuck mean?" Z turned his head and gave him the biggest grin he could.

"I don't have a fucking clue!" What?! "I just know when and where to use it. Same goes with shit and damn. Apparently bastard means a child born from parents that aren't married, and bitch means female dog." 

He couldn't tell if he wanted to be angry or depressed with that answer. At least he knew what one new word meant, and one relatively new word. "So you've been using a word that you don't know the meaning of?" It was more of a statement than a question, but hopefully he'd still reply.

"Fuck yeah." Came the dragon's jovial response.

"But what if it's a curse?" If magic existed then curses should too.

"Nah. It's a human born word. Humans can't use magic. So, it's curse free." He was sure that wasn't sound logic, but he wasn't the one that uses magic, so he'll just have to leave that to trust.

The rest of the trip was covered in silence, mostly. The wind's constant whipping at his ears was definitely going to leave them ringing by the end of this little adventure. Something he'd have to fix if this was going to become regular. He released a small sigh at the rather large possibility, and was overjoyed that the clouds opened up enough to reveal a small island a few moments' flight away. He could almost taste the feeling of sweet dirt under his boots now. Though, the island was lacking a distinct amount of lightning. Something he was sure didn't escape his dragon companion's attention. 

When they did land, Hiccup immediately jumped off and decided that the best way to return to the blessed dirt was to land on said dirt and proceed to faceplant. The fact that his legs buckled under his weight had nothing to do with that. He just wanted to make sure that he touched ground with all of him. He did not get to relish in stability for long, as he was picked up by the scruff and placed on his feet. He wobbled a bit, but he managed to steady himself and send a mild glare at Z.

Z was looking beyond him, most likely towards the forest, so he missed the glare. The dragon began a slow pace inland and he quickly trudged alongside him. As they walked, he tried to recall what he could of the small landmass. They landed on the southern edge of the island. There weren't any beaches, just a disproportionately large cliff face then oddly flat land and abundant forest. He remembered that the northern portion was a bit more elevated than the rest, but it was only enough to be noticable. There was also a pond to the west, but that was about it for special details. Just another island across the sea.

"So. Lightning." What a fantastic start to whatever conversation  _ that _ was going to be.

"It was here, I assure you." Z responded with a quiet, but flat tone.

"Well, how long ago did you find this place? The lightning could have died down if it was too long." He offered.

"Couple of days. After the outcasts there was a group of hunters I tailed. They eventually grouped up with a small fleet. Twelve ships I think. Took a while to get rid of them." He stopped walking at that moment, tilting his from side to side in search of something. He must have picked up on something because he turned sharply to the right and continued walking.

That revelation brought a shiver down his back. It was one thing to think that as a dragon he might have to defend himself, it was another thing entirely to know that Z sought out and killed people.

"You don't kill everyone you meet, do you?"

"Pint size, you're the first human I've spared."A cold shiver raced across his body. He didn't have time to fully process that as Z said, "Here we are." and abruptly stopped. There wasn't anything unusual about their current location, just more trees and dirt. His confusion was cleared up when Z's tail glowed blue and swiped in front of them. It was an odd experience seeing magic at work, and even more odd watching blue eat nothing. The blue line in the air slowly spread in all directions in a similar fashion to that of burning parchment. What the burning blue revealed, however, was much more ominous.

A mere few feet in front of them was the lip of a large gaping hole easily big enough for Z to fly comfortably through. He couldn't see how far down it went, on account he wanted to be no closer to the pit than he was, but judging by the size of the entrance it probably went a long way down.

"Clever." At Z's remark, he jerked his head towards the dragon.

"What was that?" He gestured towards the air and hole frantically. "And why was there an invisible hole in the ground?"

Z turned his head around to properly observe him. There was something strange in the dragon's eyes that he couldn't quite place. "That, was illusion magic." He slowly replied. "And don't worry, you weren't in any danger." With that the dragon turned back around and approached the edge of the chasm.

Hiccup slowly paced himself towards his friend, stopping around the middle of his right two wings. "Looks pretty dangerous to me. I can't even see the bottom."

Z chuckled softly, tilting his head ever so slightly towards him. "Yes, it does go on for a while. Even turns at one point. But despite the name, illusions created by magic are quite real. Costly, but real." That was both terrifying and relieving to find out. 

"Enough chatting, hop on. We're going exploring." Z lowered his body to the ground, allowing Hiccup an easier attempt at climbing him. Which was still a bit difficult. The dragon was large and he had to use his foreleg and feathers as support to actually climb into his back. Once secured he patted the dragon's neck to let him know he was ready. With a sudden burst of speed and a startled squeak, they were plummeting through dark, vast emptiness.

Hiccup almost fell off the first turn, but the next few were met with a death grip around the dragon's neck. Their dive down lasted a surprisingly long time. Easily a few minutes, which, in falling, is a very long time. When they did level out it was unexpected and he smacked his head on the dragon's neck. Thankfully there were feathers to help soften the blow. He was still going to have a bruise later.

When he was able to focus on anything other than the pain he was awestruck. It was an enormous cave, cavern really, filled with a plethora of glowing crystals. Most of them were blue or green and they jutted out of the walls, ceiling, floor, anything that they could grow from they were. It was like the lights of the night sky were contained in this very room. There was a bright flash followed by a loud crack as an arc of lightning jumped from one blue crystal to another.

"Whoa." He was surprised that it wasn't him that spoke first, yet he couldn't help but agree anyway.

"It's beautiful."

"Shit. Hold on tight." He barely had time to catch on as Z suddenly jerked to the side. The deafening crack right after explained why. There was a series of sharp turns and near instant reverse direction maneuvers followed even more cracks before he managed to spot why there was so much lightning. Cast in a devilishly blue glow was a Skrill. It's enraged visage redirecting the crystal's arcs towards them with a violent fervor. There was one more jerk to the side before the Skrill was suddenly struck by a silver bolt of light. It let out a sharp screech before crumbling to ash.

His eyes widened in shock, his mind not comprehending what just happened. Everything came to a crawl for him. Sure he's seen dragons die before, he was part of a viking village in the middle of a war. Death happened, but that? Whatever that was should not exist. He didn't come out of his daze until he was slapped in the face with what he was guessing was Z's tail. When he looked towards his friend, he could see worry and regret swirling across his draconic features.

Z must have asked something because he was looking like he was expecting an answer, but he couldn't hear anything. Nothing more than a sharp ringing anyway. Z bowed his head, in what he guessed was a sigh, before raising it back up and pressed a glowing green claw to his forehead. Once he was touched, the ringing in his ears quickly faded away to be replaced with the occasional crack of lightning.

"You okay Hiccup?" Came the concerned voice of Zaerkrox.

He nodded dumbly before shaking his head and gesturing to where he thought the Skrill last stood. "What was that?" He asked in a subdued whisper.

He could hear the sigh this time. "That, Hiccup, was a lightning weaver."

"You killed it." Wasn't even a question. He knew what he saw. "How… why? Couldn't you have done something different?" He could hear the intake of breath signifying the dragon was about to speak but he continued on. "It was defending its home and you just killed it. You have magic, you can do a lot of things. Why didn't you just restrain it?" He was surprised with himself that he suddenly cared so much about a race he's supposed to hate.

Z Was silent for a while, taking his time formulating a response no doubt. "Little one, I know it's not easy seeing that, but you're my priority. Lightning Weavers are known to be needlessly aggressive."

"But-"

"No. Even restrained it can control lightning. It was us or it. This is the result. I won't apologize for choosing us." He was looking at him resolutely. His mind was made and he had no more say in the matter.

He was furious, but defeated, so he turned his attention to his surroundings and focused on them. They were on a platform growing from somewhere high up and along the wall. It had an excellent view of almost everything in the cavern, with all but below them revealed. He turned around to view the ledge itself and was hit by another surprise. A nest. Tucked into a crevice where the ledge met wall, was a small nest containing two eggs.

"They're still full of life, if you were wondering." That… was good to know.

"Where's the other one? Parent that is?" He asked. A feeling telling him he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Gone. Dead. Dunno. Dragons stay in pairs when raising eggs and hatchlings. If there was only one, then the other abandoned them or was already dead." Z gave a noncommittal shrug, ruffling his wings in the process, before slowly pacing towards the nest. "Most dragons, in regards to lightning weavers and a couple others, would crush the eggs." He chuckled at Hiccup's gasp. "Figured. But do you have the means to care for them?" He could see his companion's slitted gaze on him. "Can you give them the attention they'll need growing up? Feed them, sate their thirst, simply exist for them when they need it? If you can't say yes to all of those, then it's a mercy to crush them now." As he finished he moved a paw over and lightly rested it on one of the eggs.

Horror struck Hiccup again. They weren't even born yet and Zaerkrox was already prepared to kill them. "What about you? Couldn't you raise them?"

Z scoffed. "As a slave? I'll spare them that torment." A slave?

"What do you mean, 'as a slave'?" He didn't think dragons took other dragons as slaves. He didn't think they'd need to.

"Small fry, there's a dragon unlike anything you've seen at the nest. And while it can't cast magic, it can control the instincts of others." He snarled, a truly terrifying sound that made the primitive side of him scream. He held his mouth shut though. "If that fucking piece of shit wasn't immune to magic, I'd have killed that bitch a million times over." Z paused his snarl, breathed out in a huff, and refocused on him. "Sorry. Just pissed that it has lived as long as it has."

Oh. That changes everything. They were under the impression that dragons were evil beings hellbent on their destruction. Now that he knows they're being controlled… nothing changes actually. They're still at war and he honestly doesn't know how to bring it up to his dad without sounding like a traitor.

"Back to the problem at hand. The eggs, can you care for them?"

Honestly, no. He couldn't, but he didn't want to condemn them to death before they even got to live. There had to be something he could do. He could keep them in the forge while they're small. But, if they're noisy like most babies, they'd be found almost immediately. The woods? Too far, and the wildlife would get to them. Not to mention his dad's increased vigilance towards him. Escaping everyday to care for them would be impossible.

The reality of the situation finally dawned on him. "I… I can't." Z nodded his head, as if he already knew the answer.

"I'm sorry, little ones. This world is not meant for you." The elder dragon spoke as he positioned a paw over each egg. Just as he was about to crush them, Hiccup thought of something.

"Wait!" He reached out an arm, as if that would help prevent the eggs' destruction. His heart was beating a mile a minute as Zaerkrox turned his head to give him his full attention. "What about Ny? She doesn't live in the nest, she could help them."

Z tilted his head at that, his eyes glazed over in thought. Eventually his attention was dragged back towards Hiccup. "You want me to burden my friend with raising not one, but two of probably the most spiteful dragons known to exist?"

"Yes. A-and if they turn out as bad as you claim, or it's too much, then… I'll think of something then, but we can't just kill them." The iron glare he was receiving made him want to shrivel up and hide, but he would stand firm on this. They wouldn't die. Not today.

Z shrugged his shoulders and moved his paws away from the eggs. "Alright. I'll ask. But if she says no, and you still can't care for them, they're done."

He practically melted then and there, barely catching himself as he fell to his knees. He felt exhausted after that exchange, and it didn't help that his heart was beating like he just sprinted across the entire village. After a few moments of controlling his breathing and attempting to calm himself, he stood up and faced Z. Said dragon narrowed one of his eyes at him, but did nothing else from where he sat next to the nest.

"Okay, let's… let's go home." The dragon nodded, tapped both eggs with a blue claw, and watched them disappear from the world. "What was!?" He didn't go through that just for them to be un-existed, or whatever it was that just happened.

"Chill, short stack, I just… put them in my pocket. So to speak." He just stared at Z. Pocket? The dragon very obviously didn't wear clothes, and there weren't any satchels laying around for him to stuff then in, so either he was lying or…

"Magic."

"Ding, correct. Magic pocket. Preserves things in the state they go in. Since eggs don't classify as a living being, I can put them in there for as long as I like." Wait… as long as he liked…

"Couldn't you just keep the eggs in there until we find a safe spot to raise them?" The dragon opened his mouth to respond, but then quickly snapped it shut.

"Hadn't thought about that." Seriously? He went through all of that, just to figure out the damned dragon could hide the eggs in his 'pocket'?

"Let's just get home." He was entirely done with Z for the day. He wanted to lie down in his bed and sleep for the rest of the week.

"You don't want to explore this beautiful underground cavern?" He couldn't tell if that was mock or genuine hurt in the dragon's voice. Right now, he didn't care.

"Nope. Home, please." He requested, already walking over to the dragon.

"Lame. But, sure. I'll still talk to Ny about the eggs. They may not be living, yet, but they will and I don't know the effects the pocket has on things that are living." That was good, and he said as much while he climbed onto his friend's back. Once situated, he patted his neck, in similar fashion to last time, and prepared himself for takeoff. Z turned his head around and gave Hiccup a toothy grin. He was about to smile in return, but that was when he noticed they were standing in the middle of the village. Exactly where they were before this whole adventure began. And like last time, there was a loud scream. Followed, unsurprisingly, by another deeper scream.

"God fucking damnit lady!"

Hiccup could only think, 'Why him?'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay. my phone can't properly post on AO3. Thus, FF.net will be the first to update. Other than that, only one more angsty/drama chapter left and i get to what i made this story for. sorry to put you through it, but i don't like things that happen with the reasoning being "because i said so." That will not happen in here. anyway, next chapter is almost done so you'll get two for nearly 1! Yay. until next time.


	5. Flying, Falling, Crashing

He was having a peculiar sense of deja vu. Group of angry vikings? Check. Z surrounded by said group of vikings? Check. The only thing that distinguished now from then is his exhaustion and the fact that he's still on the dragon's back. If someone were to ask why he was still in the dragon's back, he'd tell them that he's clumsy and jumping off of something, or someone in this case, that he had to climb to get on, around sharp and pointy objects waa a bad idea.

"Hiccup?" Aaaaand things just got awkward. He turned in his temporary seat to face his father. Stoick was standing behind Z, close to the dragon's tail, shield in one hand and sword, must have grabbed the nearest weapon, in the other. His stance was slackened, confusion evident across his face. Thanks to Z's large body, his stoic image remains unshattered.

"Uh, hey, dad." He gave a small wave and a wilting smile.

He looked very conflicted at that particular moment. Which is understandable, he  _ is _ sitting on the back of a supposed enemy. That confliction disappeared quickly as his steely gaze returned. He took a couple of steps back, then ran and jumped onto the base of Z's tail.

"Nope." He had next to no time to prepare for the jarring transition from stationary to mid flight. The only thing that kept him seated was the convenient placement of Z's upper wings and his desperate grip on the dragon's feathers. Which, why does a dragon have feathers? He didn't think they needed them. Though, judging by how they look, it was probably to help keep the dragon warm. Which was another thing, dragons breathe fire, why would it need to have something to keep it warm? Oh look, his dad managed to climb his way to him. This will be interesting.

Once he was within hugging distance, he decided to try lightening the mood a bit. "So, dad, how's the village?" Oh, that's a new look. He doesn't think he's ever seen the weird amalgamation of 'I'm so done with you right now', 'this is not the time', and 'we're on the back of a dragon and you're asking about the village? Now?'. Though maybe that last one was just him projecting.

Stoick simply blinked then spoke, "Don't worry son, I'll get us through this." He cringed inside, possibly outside too, at those words. He truly believes that they're in danger. Well actually they are, if his father decides that killing a dragon in mid air, while on its back, is a good idea.

"About that…" Hiccup started, only for Zaerkrox to interrupt.

"I'm feeling a significant lack of stabbing, so I'm going to assume you're talking it out pipsqueak?" There was a short pause. "I'm also feeling a significant lack of energy. So, uh, hold on?" That was when he felt the shift. His stomach lurched as their direction took a dive. The clouds looked nice today. White. Gentle. As if they would hold you close should you get near them. He sent a short prayer to the gods and held on to his father, who now had his arms wrapped around him.

Through the cracks of his father's arms he could see trees zipping by. He could also hear the snapping and breaking of branches as they fell through the forest. Maybe at one point, he would have wondered what falling would feel like. Considering he's already experienced that, and didn't like it, he was very keen on not doing that again. At least he had his dad this time.

Just as they were about to hit the ground, Z bumped them into the air, twisted around, grabbed them, and pulled them into, what he will now and forever dub, a dragon cocoon. His legs held a firm grip over them and his wings covered whatever else was exposed. While that didn't help in terms of the very painful impact with the ground, he's pretty sure that prevented them from being cut to shreds by whatever debris came from their landing and subsequent travel by dirt surfing. Judging by his father's grim, and also pained, look, he realised that too.

When they finally came to a stop, they collectively decided to take a moment to reorient themselves. Z was the first, slowly opening his wings and releasing them from his near death grip. A groan escaped him as he did, and he couldn't help but agree. It felt like someone stuffed him in a barrel then rolled him down the rockiest hill imaginable, and all he had to deal with was the impact. He felt incredibly sorry for the dragon, and eternally grateful at the same time. 

Something that could not be said about his dad. While he was content with agonizing next to Z, his father had picked him up and placed him against the furthest tree he could from the dragon. He looked torn between starting there with him, and finishing off the dragon. He thought he picked the former when his father picked up a rather menacing looking rock, but was pleasantly surprised when he returned to his side and carefully sat down next to him.

A thought came to him, one that sort of had him nervous, but with no one around for his dad to be chief, he decided to go with it. He rested his head against his dad's arm, getting a small jolt from him, hoping to have a small moment of his time. He was pleasantly surprised when the arm lifted and brought him closer. It was a rare thing to simply be a family with him, him being the chief and all, and this moment made the aching soreness quite worth it.

The spell was broken when the grumblings of his scaly friend could be heard. His father nearly jumped to his feet in preparation for whatever attacks he thought would come. He watched as Z turned over onto his belly and slowly raised his head. Four eyes blinked opened and lazily skimmed the surroundings. Something that creeped him out because he was fairly positive that each eye was looking in a different direction. He suppressed a shiver when all four eyes suddenly locked on to him. They shifted up when his dad stepped in front of him, malevolent rock at the ready. Z narrowed his eyes, but did nothing else.

After a while of intense staring, Z let out a sigh and let his head flop to the ground. "Just my luck. Used too much magic around some pointy object waving maniac." He let out a small growl as he closed his eyes. "Well, get on with it. It's going to take you a while to get through my scales with that rock of yours."

Hiccup wasn't exactly happy with his friend's sudden giving up, but judging how his dad was just shy of eager to finish the job, he had more pressing matters to deal with. He got up on shaky legs, using the tree as a crutch, and quickly put himself between his father and his friend. He didn't think it'd happen, but he was glad that it caused his dad to pause.

"Move aside." He couldn't tell if his father was shocked, his gaze taken to his namesake, but he could definitely hear the chiefly tone used.

"I won't let you hurt him." Not when he saved them. Not when he knew they were completely wrong about dragons. Z was proof, albeit not the best, but his dad didn't have to know that bit.

"That is a dragon, Hiccup." His father stated as he tightened his grip on the rock. "We have to kill it, before it kills us."

He shook his head. "He saved us, dad. He could have let us fall, or knocked us off at any time, but he protected us instead." He could see his father thinking, but that stubborn viking demeanor was rearing its head again.

"A trick so it can finish is off itself." He started as he began to approach.

He had to quickly step back to keep him between the two, the distance towards his friend decreasing at an alarming rate. "Look at him dad! Really look at him. Does he really look like he can finish us off?" He said as he shifted his eyes between his friend and father while he moved backwards. "Do you really think he would go through the effort to save us and leave himself in a vulnerable position, just to trick us and kill us later? He's not even fighting back!" He had resorted to shouting, which normally would lead to nowhere, but calmly reasoning with his father would be like politely asking a rock to move. Luckily, his father stopped, but he knew he had very little time to persuade him. He had an idea on where to start.

"If he was as horrible as you think, I would already be dead." That got his full attention. "When I was seven, after being used as a punching bag by Snotlout and the twins, again," that got a twitch out of him, "I escaped into the forest. Somewhere I needed to go to be alone and away from the pain. While I was there, I found a small stream occupied by the very being we've been at war with. And guess what happened?" He didn't give his father time to answer and continued on. "He talked to me. It was weird, and aggressive, but he talked to me. You want to know something else? He never hurt me, which is more than what my own people could say."

His father looked surprised for all of a second before it disappeared into a scowl. "A one time mercy."

"But it wasn't! Just last week when it was thought I was snatched away to never be seen again, I was returned." He wasn't going to mention the time he sought the dragon out. Yet. "All he did was take me to one of his friends and bring me back. Why would he try to kill me later if he's introducing me to friends?" He was getting bold, standing up to his father like this, but if it meant his friend did not succumb to a very painful death, then so be it.

"Treachery breaks a man the quickest." His father was remaining steadfast in his hate. Hopefully, the events of today would help persuade him.

"Then why would he kill another dragon for me?" He could see the disbelief in his eyes at that. He probably thought it was a territory thing, and it just looked like he was protecting him. Or something ridiculous like that. "Earlier today, when he took off with me  _ again _ , we ran into a hostile dragon. One I'm sure he could have avoided were I not there. Instead, he killed it to make sure I was safe. If he was really as horrible as you think, would he do any of that?"

His father finally looked conflicted, his eyes danced between him and Z. Eventually he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them. All hope drained from Hiccup, he knew that look. It was the same one he gave him when his father wasn't truly listening to him. He didn't get much of a chance to react as his father shoved him to the side and stomped up to the dragon. Just as he was about to begin something he knew would be a very painful experience for Z, a tail shot out and wrapped around his legs. Stoick had just enough time to realize his legs were caught before he was yanked to the ground and found himself trapped under a four eyed glare. Stoick's body was pinned under Z's, and Z had used both of his forelegs to pin his dad's. Z was breathing heavily, as if he just sprinted across half the world, but looked like he recovered enough to not be bludgeoned to death.

Zaerkrox let out a growl, only got it to cut short with his eyes wide in surprise. He looked over to him, and a noise akin to a chirp escaped from his throat. When he gave his friend a confused look, he watched as his friend released a groan and flopped his head onto the ground. Again.

He was more surprised that the dragon was keeping his father easily restrained than the fact that he was no longer talking. His dad, however, was less appreciative of that feat, if his grumbling and cursing was anything to go by.

Eventually, the curses stopped and Stoick seemed resigned to his fate. If only physically, his eyes still held a fiery determination. As it were, he wasn't going anywhere. Silence befell the three of them. Z no doubt asleep, his father probably thinking of the many different ways to kill Z, and him without a clue as to what to say.

Unusually, it was his father that broke the silence. "So, about this dragon."

The calm and steady voice left nothing for him to discern, leaving him quite nervous as to how he'd respond. "It's not much of a story. I met him accidentally four years ago. Pretty sure he was going to uh… kill me at some point, but something changed his mind. Two weeks ago I met him in the woods again. This time I came prepared and…" His father's continual flat gaze was starting to make him sweat. "Uh, drew him." That got a raised eyebrow. He wasn't going to think what that meant. "After that, last week he took me to see one of his friends. He wanted me to draw them, as I did for him. And today he wanted to show me an island full of lightning. There was a Skrill… he killed it." He felt… disgusted with his friend, still, but he understood why he did it.

When he made no motions to continue, his dad closed his eyes for a brief moment. Once they opened, he redirected his attention to him. "This is grounds for treason, son. I should disown you and throw you to the wolves." He looked to his father with a betrayed and hurt expression. "But, no one has died by your transgressions, nothing destroyed either. As long as that remains true, you'll not be punished." He let out a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground, the sting of tears threatening to spill rimmed his eyes. "However, I cannot, and will not, prevent people from attacking… it." He sent a glare towards the still sleeping dragon. "We're at war Hiccup, and I will not confuse our people when we need to be level headed. A chief protects his own, remember that."

He was simply thankful he wasn't being outcast, or worse. And that Z could keep coming back. To a bunch of angry vikings, but back nonetheless. "Now, get this dragon off of me."

He would, really, if he could. But Z was a dragon, and he had scrawny arms. So moving him was impossible. Z was also asleep, and he didn't think there was anything he could do that would wake him without him getting burned. "I don't think I can, he's asleep."

Stoick rolled his eyes. "Then move him." Hiccup just gave him a look. "Right." His father then took a deep breath, and with a surprising show of strength, lifted the dragon up enough for him to slide out. He could only look at his father in awe. He just lifted, regardless of how long, a dragon and made it look easy! He knew his dad was strong, but that was absurd.

"Now, if I'm not mistaken, we're still on Berk. Just on the other side." He stood up as he spoke, stretching his back once on his feet. He looked towards where the sun was beginning it's descent towards the horizon, then where he assumed the village was. "Plenty of time to make it back." He turned his attention on him, and continued, "Let's go son. I'm sure your… friend can handle himself." He wasn't wrong. Not many creatures want to mess with a dragon, even a sleeping one. That didn't stop him from looking back with worry until the dragon was obscured by trees.

The walk back was uneventful and quiet. They didn't say anything, other than his father's occasional warnings of holes or hidden roots. He must still be wrapping his head around a not entirely hostile dragon… or simply had nothing to say. Either was a good guess at this point. Eventually, though, they reached the village. It was close to sundown and he could see some of the villagers running around, armed.

His father continued on without pause, causing him to run to catch up, and approached the nearest viking. Which happened to be Gobber, who was currently wheeling a barrel full of weapons… somewhere.

"What's going on?" He had a feeling his dad already knew the answer to that, but he probably asked from habit.

"Ah, Stoick." The man turned to face them as he spoke. "We were jus about ta send a group ta go search fer the chief. You should join em, it'd certainly help." He could feel his father's flat gaze from behind him, and he couldn't blame him either. Gobber definitely had his moments. "Ah, chief! There ye are. Guess we can call off tha' search." He continued as if his previous comment was never made. He turned around and began wheeling the barrel back to wherever he originally got it.

"That… was something." His father merely nodded his head and continued on. For all of two steps, afterwards he turned and faced him with both a stern and caring expression. It was different, but more welcome than the disappointed scowl he used to get after messing up.

"Head home, Hiccup, this will take a while." He didn't argue as he turned towards their house and walked away. In fact, he was quite grateful. The day had been a long and exhausting one, and he was eager to finally lay down and forget everything.

And that was what he did. The moment he reached his bed, he was lost to the world.


End file.
